Overcenter draw latch

ABSTRACT

A 90* overcenter draw latch is provided with adjustable strike means to lock and control the amount of force which the latch exerts, and adjustable stop means to control the force exerted between the members being locked together. The device is made tamper-proof.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Walter B. Rawson Chester; Michael R.Tuozzo, Prospect Park, both of Pa. [21 1 Appl. No. 27,324 [22] FiledApr. 10, 1970 [45] Patented Dec. 28, 1971 [73] Assignee Southco, Inc.

Lester, Pa.

[54] OVERCENTER DRAW LATCH 6 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl. 292/113, 292/341. 18, 292/DIG. 49, 292/D1G. 60 [51] Int.Cl E05c 5/00, E05c 19/14 [50] Field of Search 292/ 109, 110,113,114,240, 247, 341.18, 341.19, DIG. 49, DIG. 31

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,414,407 5/1922 Harvey292/247 Primary ExaminerRobert L. Wolfe AttorneyPaul & Paul ABSTRACT: A90 overcenter draw latch is provided with adjustable strike means tolock and control the amount of force which the latch exerts, andadjustable stop means to control the force exerted between the membersbeing locked together. The device is made tamper-proof.

I III HI OVERCENTER DRAW LATCH BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention relates to latches of the type used on containers, such astrunks and the like, and in particular to latches for mounting around anoutside corner, that is 90 latches, of the overcenter type.

In the prior art it is well known to have overcenter latches which havea provision for being locked in place. Devices of this type are rathersimple and merely pull the members to be locked together in the samefixed relationship as determined by their originally installed position.They provide little if any leeway in installation for adjusting theamount of force exerted by the latch or the degree to which the parts tobe locked are drawn together.

We have invented a new latch fastener which provides a degree ofadjustability in both of these areas.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Our invention comprises a 90 corner-mountedovercenter draw latch with adjustable strike means and adjustable stopmeans. In the most preferred embodiment of our invention the latch ismade tamper-proof.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new latchfastener of the type hereinafter described which provides a degree ofadjustability in the areas mentioned above.

It is a further object to provide a quick-opening, tamperproof, 90corner-mounted overcenter draw latch.

Another object is to provide such a draw latch having an adjustablegasket compression stop and adjustable strike, the gasket compressionstop and strike being concealed when the fastener is in the closedposition.

It is a further object to provide such a fastener which can be mountedon a container requiring a minimum of space over the side and providingrapid actuation in both locking and unlocking and positive self-lockingaction necessitating a minimum locking and unlocking force at the handlewhich is transferable to the container for purposes of controlling thegasket compression.

These and other objects of our invention will become apparent from thefollowing description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a side elevation of anassembled latch in accordance with the most preferred embodiment of ourinvention shown in the locked position mounted on a container shown inphantom;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the device shown in FIG. I;

FIG. 3 is a left end view of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view taken as indicated by the lines and arrows 44 in FIG.I;

FIG. 5 is a view taken as indicated by the lines and arrows 55 in FIG.2;

FIG. 6 is a view taken as indicated by the lines and arrows 6-6 in FIG.2; and

FIG. 7 is a view taken as indicated by the lines and arrows 7-7 in FIG.2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Although specific forms of theinvention have been selected for illustration in the drawings, and thefollowing description is drawn in specific terms for the purpose ofdescribing these forms of the invention, this description is notintended to limit the scope of the invention which is defined in theappended claims.

Referring to the figures, the latch fastener comprises an overcenterlatch means designated generally I0 having a latch 12, a handle 14 and abase I6. The base is fixedly mounted to the lid 18 of the container bymeans of rivets I9 and 20. The base is essentially a flat plate with apair of mounting ears at one end and a tab 22 at the other end. The tabhas a hole 24 therein for insertion of a lock. The mounting ears of thebase have a tubular rivet 26 passing therethrough which retains the ears28 and 30 of the handle I4 for pivotal movement thereabout. The otherend of the handle I4 has a tab 32 which overlies the tab 22 on the basein the closed position shown in FIG. I; said tab having a hole 34therein which is aligned with the hole 24 in the tab 22 in the closedposition for reception of a lock.

The latch 12 has a hook 36 at one end and a rolled hinge element 38 atthe other end. The hinge element is retained for pivotal movement abouta tubular rivet 40 which is fixedly attached to the ears 28 and 30 ofthe handle 14. As can be seen from FIG. I the center line of the rivet40 is below a line passing through the axis of the rivet 26 and thepoint of engagement of the hook 36 with the strike 50. As will beapparent to one skilled in the art, such an arrangement provides anovercenter condition in the fully latched position shown, so that forcetending to open the lid 18 would result in a rotary force on the rivet40 in a counterclockwise direction or locking direction about the rivet26 providing a positive selflocking feature.

The hook-shaped portion 36 of the latch 12 fits about the complimentallyconfigured curved end 49 of the strike 50 in mating relationship. Thestrike 50 fits into the strike base 60 which is mounted on the side 51of the container. The strike base 60 and the strike 50 are fastened tothis side by mounting hardware such as a standard screw 62 and nut 64.The strike 50 is kept from sliding under pressure by matching serratedtreads on the mating surfaces of the strike and strike base. Thesetreads 66 are clearly shown from the top in FIG. 4 and in section inFIG. 5.

The adjustability of the strike with respect to the base is provided bymeans of the slotted hole 68. Thus when the bolt and nut 62 and 64 areloosened so that the serrated treads may be separated vertically, thestrike can be moved axially within the confines of the base. Thisrepositioning of the strike provides a means of adjusting the amount offorce necessary for closing the latch to the fully closed position shownin FIG. 1. Further, when used in connection with the stop 70, it becomesa means for adjusting the amount of force which the lid 18 will exert onthe stop 70.

The stop 70 is located on the strike base and is used to control theforce exerted between the lid and the side of the container, or theamount by which a gasket (II, FIG. 1), between the lid and the side, maybe compressed. The stop has a flat body portion 72 and an upwardlyextending tab 74 which engages the inwardly depending flange 76 of thelid I8 to retard its motion under the action of the latch. The bodyportion 72 is provided with serrated treads which match the treads inthe strike base as clearly shown in the figures. It is also providedwith a slotted adjustment hole 78 through which passes fastening means,that is, the bolt 80 which together with the nut 82 retained the stopand strike base on the side of the container. When the nut and bolt 82and 80 are sufficiently loosened the stop 70 can be moved axially inorder to adjust the position of the lid with respect to the side. Thusif there were a gasket between the lid and the side the pressure on thegasket could be controlled by the position of the stop. When the nut andbolt are tightened the serrated treads prevent axial movement of thestop with respect to the strike base.

It will be noted that the stop and the strike are independentlyadjustable. Thus, for a given position of the stop various degrees ofclosing force could be provided by adjusting the strike. Similarly, fora given position of the strike, adjustment of the position of the stopcan provide not only adjustment of the force necessary to close thelatch, but also adjustment of the position of the lid and thecompression of any gasket between the lid and the side.

The device is made tamper proof by making the strike basechannel-shaped. That is, the strike base has upwardly extendingsidewalls and 92 which conceal the mounting hardware when the fasteneris in the fully closed position, as clearly shown in FIG. 1. Thus, whena lock is appropriately positioned through the holes 24 and 34 in theposition shown in FIG. 1, the mounting hardware is inaccessible and thedevice is tamper-proof.

As can be seen in the end views H08. 6 and 7, the edges of the strikeand stop are inclined upwardly at an angle of approximately 30". This isto facilitate their clearing the rounded inside corners formed in thestrike base by the upwardly extending side walls. These longitudinallyextending edges of both the strike and the stop are made to fit closelywithin the confines of the area defined by the upwardly extending sides90 and 92 so that they will not cock in use.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials andarrangement of parts which have been herein described and illustrated inorder to explain the nature of this invention, may be made by thoseskilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention asexpressed in the following claims.

lt will further be understood that the Abstract of the Disclosure" setforth above is intended to provide a nonlegal technical statement of thecontents of the disclosure in compliance with the Rules of Practice ofthe United States Patent Office, and is not intended to limit the scopeof the invention described and claimed herein.

What is claimed is:

1. An overcenter draw latch having an overcenter latch means for fixedattachment to a first portion of a container; an adjustable strike meansfor fixed attachment to a second portion of said container andengagement by said latch means for adjusting the force necessary toclose said latch; and a separate adjustable stop means for fixedattachment to said second portion of said container and engagement bysaid first portion of said container to adjustably fix the positionthereof upon drawing the latch closed.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said strike means and said stopmeans are independently adjustable toward and away from one another on acommon base; said base and said stop means and said strike means havingmating means thereon to prevent slippage therebetween due to the forceexerted on closing said latch.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said mating means comprises treads.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein mounting hardware is provided forfixedly attaching the adjustable strike means to the external surface ofsaid second portion of said container and means are provided on saidstrike means to prevent tampering with said hardware when said latch isin the closed position.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said last mentioned means comprisesside walls extending upwardly from a base to closely confine and embracea portion of said latch means positioned to overlie said hardware whenthe latch is in the closed position.

6. A comer-mounted overcenter draw latch for use on a container having afirst portion and a second portion movable toward and away from saidfirst portion in a closing and opening relationship respectively andhaving a gasket between said portions, said gasket being compressedbetween said portions in the closed relationship, comprising: anovercenter draw latch means for fixed attachment to said first portionof said container; an adjustable strike means for fixed attachment tosaid second portion of said container and engagement by said latch meansfor adjusting the force necessary to close said latch, having a base forfixed attachment to said second portion of said container and a strikeadjustable to a plurality of fixed positions with respect to said base,said base and said strike having mating means to prevent slippagetherebetween due to the force exerted on closing said latch, said matingmeans comprising treads on said base and said strike; and adjustablestop means for fixed attachment to said second portion of said containerand engagement by said first portion of said container to fix theposition thereof upon drawing the latch closed and to adjust thecompressive force on said gasket, comprising a base for fixed attachmentto said second portion of said container and a stop adjustable to aplurality of fixed positions with respect to said base, said base beingthe same base as the base of said strike means, said base and said stophaving mating means to prevent slippage therebetween due to the forceexerted on closing said latch and the engagement of said first portionwith said stop, said mating means comprising treads on said base andsaid stop; and hardware mounted through said base and said secondportion for fixedly attaching said base to said second portion of saidcontainer; said base having means to prevent tampering with saidhardware when said latch is in the closed position, comprising sidewalls extending upwardly from said base to closely confine a portion ofsaid latch means positioned to overlie said hardware when said latch isin the closed position.

1. An overcenter draw latch having an overcenter latch means for fixedattachment to a first portion of a container; an adjustable strike meansfor fixed attachment to a second portion of said container andengagement by said latch means for adjusting the force necessary toclose said latch; and a separate adjustable stop means for fixedattachment to said second portion of said container and engagement bysaid first portion of said container to adjustably fix the positionthereof upon drawing the latch closed.
 2. The invention of claim 1wherein said strike means and said stop means are independentlyadjustable toward and away from one another on a common base; said baseand said stop means and said strike means having mating means thereon toprevent slippage therebetween due to the force exerted on closing saidlatch.
 3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said mating means comprisestreads.
 4. The invention of claim 1 wherein mounting hardware isprovided for fixedly attaching the adjustable strike means to theexternal surface of said second portion of said container and means areprovided on said strike means to prevent tampering with said hardwarewhen said latch is in the closed position.
 5. The invention of claim 4wherein said last mentioned means comprises side walls extendingupwardly from a base to closely confine and embrace a portion of saidlatch means positioned to overlie said hardware when the latch is in theclosed position.
 6. A 90* corner-mounted overcenter draw latch for useon a container having a first portion and a second portion movabletoward and away from said first portion in a closing and openingrelationship respectively and having a gaskeT between said portions,said gasket being compressed between said portions in the closedrelationship, comprising: an overcenter draw latch means for fixedattachment to said first portion of said container; an adjustable strikemeans for fixed attachment to said second portion of said container andengagement by said latch means for adjusting the force necessary toclose said latch, having a base for fixed attachment to said secondportion of said container and a strike adjustable to a plurality offixed positions with respect to said base, said base and said strikehaving mating means to prevent slippage therebetween due to the forceexerted on closing said latch, said mating means comprising treads onsaid base and said strike; and adjustable stop means for fixedattachment to said second portion of said container and engagement bysaid first portion of said container to fix the position thereof upondrawing the latch closed and to adjust the compressive force on saidgasket, comprising a base for fixed attachment to said second portion ofsaid container and a stop adjustable to a plurality of fixed positionswith respect to said base, said base being the same base as the base ofsaid strike means, said base and said stop having mating means toprevent slippage therebetween due to the force exerted on closing saidlatch and the engagement of said first portion with said stop, saidmating means comprising treads on said base and said stop; and hardwaremounted through said base and said second portion for fixedly attachingsaid base to said second portion of said container; said base havingmeans to prevent tampering with said hardware when said latch is in theclosed position, comprising side walls extending upwardly from said baseto closely confine a portion of said latch means positioned to overliesaid hardware when said latch is in the closed position.